next generation shop floor control by Simparel Shopfloor

RFID and Shopfloor, creative solutions

Oct 25, 2016—Covercraft, a car-cover manufacturer based in Pauls Valley, Okla., is using a Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID solution provided by Shopfloor to help track the clocking-in and movements of operators throughout its plant. The Shopfloor system enables Covercraft to know which tasks were conducted, by whom and when; monitor who was responsible in the event that an error occurs; and pay workers based on the specific quantity of tasks they complete. Several clothing or shoe manufacturers are employing a Shopfloor solution in a similar fashion, with a maker of men’s suits also planning to utilize the technology for a consumer-based application. Shopfloor, based in Alpharetta, Ga., produces wireless shop floor control (SFC) solutions for manufacturers of apparel and other consumer products. By implementing the company’s Shopfloor Eye software, in conjunction with NFC RFID technology or QR codes, a manufacturer can automate the collection of work-in-progress (WIP) data. But Shopfloor is now considering a consumerfacing use case for some of its customers. If an NFC RFID tag is incorporated into a product, shoppers could use their Androidbased devices, with a Shopfloor app, to access data regarding a particular product, such as where, when and how that item was made. They could also view photographs of the product as it was assembled. At a garment factory, workers begin their shifts by tapping their NFC RFID employee badges against the NFC-enabled Google Nexus 7 tablets built into their workstations. Covercraft, which also makes car-seat and dashboard covers, as well as floor mats and other products, is using the Shopfloor Clothing, Car-Cover Manufacturers Track Work-in-Progress via RFID

Journal 2 of 3 When NFC technology is being used to track WIP, Hershoran says, tags could be permanently attached to products, if a company so chooses. “Once a product’s complete, the manufacturers have a choice,” he adds. By permanently embedding the NFC tags, a firm could provide a way to continue identifying each product even after it is provided to the customer. This could prove useful, for instance, if merchandise is returned due to a defect. In the long run, Hershoran reports, Shopfloor aims for its customers to use NFC technology not only to improve their own work processes, but also to offer extra value to their consumers. If an NFC tag were to remain with a product when it was delivered to a store, shoppers could scan that tag to learn more about it—either after bringing it home, or before making a purchase. “In that way,” Hershoran says, “even 20 years down the road, every jacket would have a story to tell.” Shopfloor is currently in discussions with a U.S. men’s suit manufacturer to implement the technology for work-in-progress tracking, and to allow consumers to access product information while in stores. The tag would be sewn permanently into each clothing item, such as a jacket. During manufacturing, data could be collected about that item, including information regarding the fabrics, the work being performed on the product and pictures of the item as it is being assembled. Operator names or other information could be provided as well. In that way, a consumer could learn information about an item before paying for it. Shopfloor is in discussions with potential customers about using NFC RFID tags as a consumer-based feature that could make a high-end product more desirable, and is also working to establish a standard with regard to where NFC tags should be applied to products so that shoppers could easily find and scan labels while shopping or after making purchases. “We are developing an example app to be able to show to potential manufacturers,” Hershoran states. “Once we have our first customer doing this, we would work with them to develop the standard and work with a [standards] organization to do so.” What’s more, Hershoran says, the labels could be useful for consumers when it comes to laundry. Users could access care information about a product by tapping an Android smartphone against its label. If information (such as an item’s heat-tolerance level) needed to be updated, that could be accomplished in the software, thereby making it possible to revise information for consumers—even after they purchase a garment.